Songs of the Red Rider
by NotToBeMessedWith
Summary: A half dozen snapshots of Murtagh's life, set to songs... From childhood to manhood, from imprisonment to love... Includes songs from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Linkin Park, Boys Like Girls, Matchbox 20, and Hinder. Do not own any of this.
1. Face Down

**Face Down**

Murtagh slunk around the corner, making extra certain his father didn't see him. His four-year-old frame shuddered as he remembered the think scar running down his back.

But he had to see his mother. She had been screaming again last night.

Sometimes Murtagh wished he had never been born. Then, his mother didn't have to stick around with Morzan.

_Hey, girl, you know you drive me crazy,  
One look puts the rhythm in my hand.  
Still I'll never understand why you hang around;  
I see what's going down._

"Momma?" Murtagh whispered as he stuck his head around the door.

Selena looked up sharply from the mirror, her hand in a jar of powder. Her fearful expression softened as she saw the little boy.

"Murtagh," she murmured, and strode over to pick him up and set hit on her hip.

This gave her son a prime view of her cheek. A blotchy purple bruise was patchily hidden by face powder.

Murtagh buried his face in his mother light brown hair, and mumbled, "Daddy hit you, didn't he?"

Selena sighed, placing a slender hand on his back. "Yes, sweetie. But it will never happen again, I promise."

Murtagh clenched his small jaw. It would, he knew. His mother cried every night, when she though he was asleep. Morzan hurt her, and yet he always told her that he loved her.

Murtagh may have been young, but that was not love.

_Cover up with makeup in the mirror,  
tell yourself, "it's never gonna happen again."  
You cry alone and then he swears he loves you.  
_  
Years later, Murtagh stood, proud and tall, a boy of 12. He was confronting his father, eyes blazing. Selena lay on the ground at his feet, whimpering and clutching her face.

"You hit her!" roared the young man, glaring down the leader of the Forsworn.

"Yes," spat Morzan, "I did. What will you do about it, _boy_?"

Murtagh clenched his fists, nails digging into the palms. From the ground, Selena's eyes shot between the two, fear dominating.

"I'll –""Will you?" asked Morzan lazily. "You forget, Murtagh, about that scar on your back."

It took all of the young man's will not to punch Morzan in the face. Instead, he hoisted his mother up, snapped, "Do you feel better now, _Father_?" and marched out of the room.

_Do you feel like a man when you push her around?  
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?  
Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end  
as your lies crumble down, a new life she has found.  
_

At age 14, Murtagh waited outside his mother's room for the healer to depart. He paced quickly, worried for the one person here who truly loved him.

Finally, the healer emerged. He snatched the woman's shoulders.

"Oh!" She let out a tiny shriek. "Sorry, sir. For a second I though you were Morzan."

Murtagh's eyes narrowed at that remark. He hated his father. So, so much.

"So what's wrong with my mother?" he demanded, choosing to ignore the hearler's remark.

"Everything. Ever since she's returned, she's been a wreck. I think she's dying."

_A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect,  
every action in this world will bear a consequence.  
If you wade around forever, you will surely drown  
I see what's going down.  
_  
_I see the way you go and say you're right again,  
say you're right again,  
heed my lecture._

"WHAT!?" Murtagh roared. The healer cowering against the wall, he barged into his mother's room.

Selena lay fragile and ill on her bed, skin so pale it was near translucent. "Oh, my baby boy," she whispered, drawing him near.

Murtagh knelt beside her, a hole slowly eating its way through his heart. "Mother…" he whispered. "Why are you ill now?

Selena shook her head. "We're unsure, but the healer thinks I have bruising from… past injuries…"

Murtagh's eyes burned. He stood up, and with a crack, smashed a wooden frame. "_Morzan_," he hissed. Even now his mother still felt the affects of his cruelty.

_Do you feel like a man when you push her around?  
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?  
Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end  
as your lies crumble down, a new life she has found._

Face down in the dirt, she said,  
"This doesn't hurt", she said,  
"I finally had enough."

He remembered, one day, coming back from a walk to find Selena bleeding from a cut on her stomach. She had looked up from the ground, and whispered, "It's okay. It doesn't hurt."

The pain in her eyes read otherwise.

_One day she will tell you that she has had enough  
it's coming round again._

Do you feel like a man when you push her around?  
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?  
Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end  
as your lies crumble down, a new life she has found.And now Murtagh looked upon her face, and saw with horror that same pain, along with something else.

"No," he whispered, clutching her hand. "NO!"

"I'm sorry," Selena murmured. "It hurts, Murtagh. I say it now. It hurts. And I've finally had enough of life."

Murtagh screamed out, "NO!" even as Selena's hand fell limp in his own.

_Face down in the dirt, she said,  
"This doesn't hurt", she said,  
"I finally had enough."_

Sobbing over his mother's body, Murtagh whispered, "I swear by my mother, I'll _never_ be Morzan. _Never_."


	2. In The End

**In The End**

_(It starts with)   
One thing / I don't know why  
It doesn't even matter how hard you try  
Keep that in mind / I designed this rhyme  
To explain in due time._

Murtagh stared out of the slotted window of his cell. He could see Uru'baen laid out below him, a black patchwork.

Furious and bitter, he swung his fist around to hit the wall. He watched in sick satisfaction at the oozing blood that inched down his knuckles.

_All this time,_ Murtagh thought bitterly. _All this time I tried to get away, and I'm back here again._

_  
All I know  
time is a valuable thing  
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings  
Watch it count down to the end of the day  
The clock ticks life away._

Galbatorix… All of his misery could trace back to the tyrant king. It was his fault that he was in Uru'baen, that by the time he got out of here, all the Varden – Eragon, Arya, Nasuada – would think Murtagh Morzansson a traitor.

_Nasuada…_ his time with her had been so short, only a few minutes ticked out on the pendulum. And yet he had felt… rightness. Something he hadn't felt since his mother died before him.

But she wouldn't trust him anymore, if Galbatorix came through with his plan. Murtagh would be a Rider of the Empire.

_  
It's so unreal  
Didn't look out below  
Watch the time go right out the window  
Trying to hold on / but didn't even know  
Wasted it all just to  
Watch you go_

How could he not have seen this coming? Eragon and Saphira clearly distrusted the Twins. Life was going too well for a man who could not have an ounce of luck. He had been dragged down to mimic his father all his life.

And now the egg hatched, and the small dragon clawing his palm was as bloodred as his father's.

_  
I kept everything inside and even though I tried / it all fell apart  
What it meant to me / will eventually / be a memory / of a time when_

_I tried  
so hard  
And got so far  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter  
I had to fall  
To lose it all  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter_

One thing / I don't know why  
It doesn't even matter how hard you try  
Keep that in mind / I designed this rhyme  
To remind myself how  
I tried so hard

He had been a slave for the first 18 years of his life. For one brief and shining moment, he was free. And now he and the baby dragon would be slaves again.

_I'm sorry, Mother_, Murtagh thought. _I am becoming Morzan._

_  
In spite of the way you were mocking me  
Acting like I was part of your property  
Remembering all the times you fought with me  
I'm surprised it got so (far)  
Things aren't the way they were before  
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore  
Not that you knew me back then  
But it all comes back to me  
In the end_

He reflected not only on Nasuada, but also his brother, Eragon. "Brother". The word still shocked him. At least he now knew where Selena had gone for a time.

He had fought with his last remaining family, who was probably now mourning him. What would his brother say when Murtagh became the Red Rider?

_  
You kept everything inside and even though I tried / it all fell apart  
What it meant to me / will eventually / be a memory / of a time when I  
I tried so hard_

And got so far  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter  
I had to fall  
To lose it all  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter  


The small dragon nuzzled his hand, burping smoke. Murtagh smiled a tiny, bitter grin as he stroked his head.

He had been a fool to trust the Twins when Rider and dragon didn't.

He had been a fool to push so hard when reality would just come back to hit him in mthe face.

He had tried so hard, and gotten so far from his destiny. But it made no difference.

_  
I've put my trust in you  
Pushed as far as I can go  
And for all this  
There's only one thing you should know  
I've put my trust in you  
Pushed as far as I can go  
And for all this  
There's only one thing you should know  
I tried so hard  
And got so far  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter  
I had to fall  
To lose it all  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter_

As the little red dragon clawed at a piece of paper, Murtagh realized that, in the end, nothing he had done really mattered.

_**I'm so sorry, Mother**_


	3. Better Than Me

**HA. Bet you all thought I ditched this story for lack of reviews, huh? Well, you were WRONG. I return with the third chapter of ****Songs of the Red Rider!**

**Better Than Me**

_I think you can do much better than me  
After all the lies that I made you believe  
_

On a wall in Uru-baen, three fairths hung. One was of a red dragon, glaring balefully out of the stone. The second was of a brunette teenage boy and a sapphire dragon. Their expressions were one of hope and happiness.

The third was of a dark girl in a red dress, standing in a garden. Her eyes stared out of the fairth and seemed to pierce one's soul.

A dark haired man shifted around in his sleep. His dreams were haunted by a beautiful, dark-skinned girl. She was screaming at him that she was a liar, that she shouldn't love him.

He woke up with a start, Nasuada's yells echoing in his head. He looked forlornly at the floor. He had lied to her.

_Guilt kicks in and I start to see  
The edge of the bed  
Where your nightgown used to be_

The first day they ever met, she had come to visit him in his cell. He fell in love at first sight.

It was a ridiculous notion, Murtagh had tried to tell himself. He couldn't love this girl; they had just met. But he couldn't help but stare as she introduced herself as Nasuada, daughter of Ajihad.

Before he could stop himself, he had blurted out, "You're beautiful."

Nasuada blushed, and looked away. Her hands nervously clutched the skirt of her dress. Murtagh looked down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "That was… out of line."

To his surprise, Nasuada _smiled _at him. "That's quite alright," she told him, and then…

"Do you reallly think I'm beautiful?"

They had snuck to meet each other over the next few days. They exchanged nothing more than kisses and whispered promises of love, but Murtagh had felt more whole that he had since his mother's death.

He even found himself giving Nasuada the same promise he had once given his mother: "I won't be Morzan, ever."

But he had lied. He was as good as Morzan now.

_  
I told myself I won't miss you  
But I remember,  
What it feels like beside you_

He had tried to talk himself out of missing her, out of missing anyone. But he couldn't forget the sense of belonging he had felt with the Varden, with Eragon, and with the only woman he ever felt her truly loved.

_  
I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me  
_

_Perhaps it was for the best_, Murtagh reasoned. The Varden never would have accepted a union between the son of Morzan and their beloved princess.

And yet a vision of her with another man sent waves of pain through Murtagh. He missed everything about her: her hair, her kiss, her smile.

But he was a traitor, though an unwilling one, still a traitor. He didn't deserve her.

_  
When lookin' through your old box of notes  
Found these pictures I took  
That you were looking for_

He glanced at the fairths that adorned the otherwise bare walls of his room – no, cell. Thorn… Eragon… Nasuada. He wished she could have seen it, perhaps given her one of him to hold onto. But that time was long gone.

_  
If there's one memory I don't want to lose  
That time at the mall  
You and me in the dress__in' room_

He remembered when she got that vividly red dress from the seamstress. She had pranced out from behind the changing screen, tempting him with every swish of fabric. As soon as the seamstress had left, he had seized her and kissed her.

_  
I told myself I won't miss you  
But I remember,  
What it feels like beside you  
I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this_

_You deserve much better than me  
_

It had been the one shining time in Murtagh's otherwise miserable life. Why did it have to end?

_A girl like Nasuada doesn't need the son of a traitor,_ he thought, laying flat on his back. _She deserves better_.

_  
The bed I'm layin' in is getting colder  
Wish I never would've said it's over  
And I can't pretend... I won't think about you  
when I'm older  
Cause we never really had our closure  
This can't be the end_

_NO!_ argued another voice in his head. _You have to make things right. Go to the Varden. Speak to her. Tell them the truth._

Murtagh contemplated this. It would make sense. This brooding over her didn't have to be the end.

He sat up, and contacted Thorn. _Wake up, you overgrown lizard._

_Oh, joyous day, my oh-so-cheerful master summons._

_Shut up. We're going to the Varden._

_What about Galbatorix?_

_Screw Galbatorix._

_I like the way you think._

_  
I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me  
I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me  
I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me  
I really miss your hair in my face  
And the way your innocence tastes  
And I think you should know this  
You deserve much better than me_

Maybe Nasuada did deserve better than Murtagh Morzansson. But there was only one way to find out.

**HA, I have begun the MurtaghxNasuada. It will be muy importante in the second half of ****Songs of the Red Rider.**

**Thank you for reading, please review!**


	4. How Far We've Come

**OH! I'm back AGAIN! With the 4****th**** song of this fic, I sort of begin Murtagh's redemption, which is the theme for the whole second half.**

**How Far We've Come**

_I'm waking up at the start of the end of the world__,   
but its feeling just like every other morning before,  
Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone,_

Murtagh carefully picked the lock on the roof-door of Thorn's dragon hold. He shifted from foot to foot, trying not to think about falling off of Thorn's head.

_Can you move any faster?_ Thorn grumbled. _You are not a very comfortable hat._ Murtagh kicked his foot down on his dragon's head. _No, I couldn't move faster, not without WAKING SOMEONE UP!_

Thorn snorted. _Fine. Be difficult._ Murtagh rolled his eyes. Big, fearsome dragon – ha!, he thought mutinously. Finally, the lock came loose, and he claimed a safer spot on Thorn's back.

The flame-red dragon sighed out, then took off into the cold, clear night sky.

Murtagh looked down on the darkened city of Uru-baen, wondering how soon he'd be missed. _Maybe they won't even care, _he mused. _I mean, what could _my_ life mean if it's gone?_

_The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour if that,  
and started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbye  
can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?_

He didn't even know what was so special about him. How had Galbatorix even known he was a dragon rider? If the mad king hadn't killed every other rider, he'd be a nobody.

Murtagh leaned back on Thorn, staring at the start speckled side. _The only ones who ever cared for me,_ he mused, _may hate me now. This is stupid_.

_Stop being so pessimistic,_ Thorn snapped. _It's giving me a headache. They'll take you back, or they won't. We'll find out either way._

_  
But I believe the world is burning to the ground  
oh well I guess we're gonna find out  
let's see how far we've come  
let's see how far we've come  
Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end  
oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,  
let's see how far we've come  
let's see how far we've come_

A few hours later, Murtagh looked down at the scattering of Varden tents. _Land out of sight, Thorn_, he instructed. Rider and dragon touched down.

The young man slunk through the trees, aiming for the largest tent. It was obviously Nasuada's. He smirked as he saw the guards stationed outside of the flap – stationed so determinedly, they didn't notice a dark haired man slipping carefully under the back corner of the dark green fabric.

He padded across the dirt floor towards a pallet in the corner. Nasuada slept there, her face as beautiful as he remembered. He gazed at her with conflicting fear and adoration, then slowly lowered his hand towards her mouth.

As his palm touched her face, her eyes snapped open. It took a second or two for her to register, and then a muffled scream sounded under his hand.

Her eyes glared flames, and she struggled against his strength. "Nasuada! Nasuada, please!" Murtagh begged in a panicked whisper. "Give me a chance, just let me explain! I'm not here to hurt you, or Eragon, or Arya! _I don't want to work for Galbatorix!_"

She looked him straight in the eye, and he was reminded irresistibly of his fairth of her. She rammed against his hand more, then lay flat. Grudgingly, she jerked her head in a nod.

"I'll knock you out and run if you scream," he cautioned, and carefully lifted his hand off her mouth.

He was met with a stream of swears hissed in a low voice. He smirked cockily at her. "I missed you to, Nasuada," he said. "We've come so far since our last meeting."

"I'll say," she spat, tossing her dark hair. "I'm leading a noble cause, and you're the servant of a tyrant who wants to kill us all!" Murtagh ran a hand through his hair as she continued her rant, "and you killed the dwarf king, he was close to Eragon, and you killed all these soldiers, and here I thought I loved you!" She broke off, eyes wide, and clamped a hand over her mouth.

Murtagh's mouth moved silently. Then, without warning, he collapsed on Nasuada's bed, buried his face in is hands, and sobbed.

_I think it turned ten o'clock but I don't really know  
then I can't remember caring for an hour or so  
started crying and I couldn't stop myself  
I started running but there's no where to run to  
I sat down on the street, took a look at myself  
said where you going man you know the world is headed for hell  
say all goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to  
_

"Mur… tagh…?" Nasuada sounded regretful. Spitefully, the dark man wiped away his tears, and looked up at her. "You don't understand," he whispered brokenly. "He kept me locked up after Thorn hatched for me, the sun rose and set each day, and I had no idea. He broke me, Nasuada, got into parts of my mind even I didn't know and got my true name. He controls me when he uses it."

A soft hand lay on his back. With a shaky breath, he pressed on, "I was thinking, tonight, and I need to know – do you hate me? I'll kill myself if you do," a gasp from Nasuada, "because I don't want to be a weapon against you. If you care, though, I want to try and break free from Galbatorix. Please, Nasuada, just let me know."

The soft hand moved off his back and to his cheek. A pair of soft lips brushed his own, and Nasuada looked at him with tears in her eyes. "You fool," she murmured. "I loved you. I didn't want to believe you turned on us, and Eragon told me about your name, but when you didn't come back… I though you had turned on us." She looked down, and teardrops splattered on the dusty ground.

He kissed her again, loving the feel of her lips, a feel he had been missing since he had been taken by Galbatorix. He hugged her close, and felt her tears soaking through his dark tunic. "Tell Eragon for me, all right?" he whispered into her ear, and felt her nod against his chest.

Gently, he pushed her away. "I need to leave," he murmured softly. "The king won't know, he doesn't look into my mind if he doesn't feel a need." Murtagh kissed her once more, for good measure. "I love you, Nasuada. Goodbye."

Carefully, silently, Murtagh slipped under the tent wall into the trees, leaving a woman whose heart simultaneously broke and became whole at the same time.

_  
I believe the world is burning to the ground  
oh well I guess we're gonna find out  
let's see how far we've come (right now)  
let's see how far we've come_

Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end  
oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,  
let's see how far we've come  
let's see how far we've come  


Murtagh ran into the trees, ignoring the sticks whipping against his face. She loved him, she _loved_ him, and she forgave him. It was a beautiful thing, being in love.

Thorn rumbled in his head,_ Glad to see you're content, O cheerful master_.

_Shut up, Thorn,_ Murtagh said cheerfully. With a heave of his arms, he swung onto Thorn's back. _Nothing could ruin this. We're getting the hell out of Uru-baen._

_Really? Thank whatever god there may be – this slavery is coming to an end!_

_  
Its gone gone baby its all gone  
there is no one on the corner and there's no one at home  
well it was cool cool, it was just all cool  
now it's over for me and it's over for you  
well its gone gone baby its all gone  
there's no one on the corner and there's no one at home  
well it was cool cool, it was just all cool  
now it's over for me and it's over for you  
_

Nasuada stuck her head out of the back of her tent, watching as a reddish speck soared momentarily bright against the moon. This utter heartbreak she had felt at Murtagh's betrayal, it was over for him, and for her. They had come far since her father's death, Murtagh was right – now they needed to see how far they could go.

_  
I believe the world is burning to the ground  
oh well I guess we're gonna find out  
let's see how far we've come  
let's see how far we've come  
Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end  
oh well, __I guess, we're gonna pretend,   
let's see how far we've come, again  
let's see how far we go  
let's see how far we've come  
let's see how far we go  
let's see how far we've come  
let's see how far we go  
let's see how far we've come  
let's see how far we go  
let's see how far we've come_

**Sorry this last update took so long – I've been busy.**

**----E----**


	5. The Great Escape

Omg

**Omg. I'm back. Too much utter track dominance and being top 2 in my class. OVERLOAD.**

**But I have returned. And here it is. Murtagh's second to last hurrah. So close, Murtagh, so close… mwahaha…**

**Read on. Peace.**

**The Great Esacpe**

_Paper bags and plastic hearts,  
All are belongings in shopping carts,  
It's goodbye,  
But we got one more night._

Murtagh eagerly paced his room-cell, a piece of paper crunched in his fist. Only a few more minutes. Just tonight, and he would be gone.

It had been Eragon's idea, of course. He had always been the least willing to believe that Murtagh had crossed over to the side of the enemy, and so had readily schemed to free him when Nasuada told him of Murtagh's choice.

His plan was simple – the Varden would provide a distraction while Murtagh and Thorn escaped to Eragon and Saphira, where they would try to break Galbatorix's hold.

The only catch was that the Varden had to provide a massive distraction. Massive as in, attacking the stronghold of the Black King himself.

Uru-baen.

_  
Let's get drunk and ride around,  
And make peace with an empty town,  
We can make it right._

A clock chimed somewhere in the hollow recesses of the palace. Murtagh froze. His voice sounded unnaturally loud in his mind as he called, _Thorn?_

_I'm here._

_It's time._

The great dragon growled. _About time._

Murtagh carefully opened the door. It squeaked, the sound magnified in the hall's high ceilings. Murtagh winced, then stole out.

Moving as quickly as he dared, he reached Thorn's dragon hold. A few mumbled words and the seal on the door shattered.

Thorn was waiting. His eyes were trained on the charmed metal barrier that kept him from the skies. Murtagh smirked despite himself. _Impatient, aren't we?_

_You have no idea. Hurry up._

It was like 2 months ago, when Murtagh had first snuck out into the night to see Nasuada. He balanced carefully on Thorn's head and, with a bit of magic and good old-fashioned lock picking, opened the door.

Murtagh braced himself for the alarms to go off when people saw him. Any other night, there would have been a better chance, but now the city was empty. All able-bodied men had been called out to stop the unprecedented Varden strike on the Empire's heart, and women and children were in hiding.

He looked down at the city that had been his collective jailer for so many months, and yet found he could not hate it. The people knew no better – Galbatorix had been King for so long freedom must seem like simply a good dream that disappeared with the dawn.__

Throw it away,  
Forget yesterday,  
We'll make the great escape.  
We won't hear a word they say,  
They don't know us anyway.  
Watch it burn,  
Let it die,  
Cause we are finally free tonight.

He looked down now at himself. On his chest was the armor of an Empire soldier. He snarled at it, and tore at the symbol. He scratched at it wildly, pieces of it flying down into the deserted streets.

_Feeling rebellious? _Thorn asked dryly.

_Shut up, Thorn. I want him off me, and out of my head,_ Murtagh grumbled.

_I know. It's close._

Thorn tilted his head toward the east. Fires raged across the fields, and Murtagh could hear the screams of dying men. Silhouetted against the flames was a black dragon. The rider, the King, did not fight yet. He was clearly sparing himself the trouble, simply directing his troops from on high.

Thorn wheeled to the west, where Saphira and Eragon would be waiting.

_  
Tonight will change our lives,  
It's so good to be by your side,  
But we'll cry,  
We won't give up the fight.  
We'll scream loud at the top of our lungs,  
And they'll think it's just cause were young,  
And we'll feel so alive._

Murtagh spread his arms out, enjoying the wind whistling across his skin. _The first thing I'm going to do when I'm free is go apologize to the dwarves,_ he told Thorn. _That's a good idea. I'm fairly sure they still want your head on a pike,_ Thorn responded cynically.

And then they saw them. A flash of brightest blue was directly below them. Thorn dived. Murtagh let out a whoop of joy as he saw his brother waiting. He felt tears prick his eyes, but brushed them away, ashamed. Why was he crying? He was released.

_  
Throw it away,  
Forget yesterday,  
We'll make the great escape,  
We won't hear a word they say,  
They don't know us anyway,  
Watch it burn,  
Let it die,  
Cause we are finally free tonight._

"Murtagh!" Eragon shouted in relief. "We thought you weren't coming."

Murtagh embraced him. "Why wouldn't I? It's all I've though of for months."

Eragon laughed once, them sobered. "You're going to have to let me in, Murtagh. I have to see your mind."

Instinct made him stiffen. But it was Eragon; he wouldn't make Murtagh's mind bend to slavery again.

He looked quickly at Thorn. The great dragon jerked his head in a nod.

"All right," said Murtagh quietly. "Let me be free."__

All of the wasted time,  
The hours that were left behind,  
The answers that we'll never find,  
They don't mean a thing tonight.  


Eragon started forward, then paused. Murtagh's pulse sped up in anticipation. "What? What is it?"

Eragon hesitated. "It's just that… I mean, all this time you could have… I was wondering, too…" He stumbled over his words, as if he was unsure what to say to the man who was his friend, then enemy, then brother.

"Eragon." Murtagh put a hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. Tonight, it's the wrong time. We'll talk when we go home."

The younger boy smiled, and began to move forward again.

_  
Throw it away,  
Forget yesterday,  
We'll make the great escape.  
We won't hear a word they say,  
They don't know us anyway.  
_

Murtagh watched Eragon's palm as it moved closer and closer to his face. He felt odd. Like something was about to go horribly wrong.

It was about then that he felt a familiar, malignant presence at the back of his mind.

_Murtagh…_

No.

_  
Throw it away,  
Forget yesterday,  
We'll make the great escape.  
We won't hear a word they say,  
They don't know us anyway.  
_

"NO!" he shouted, and clapped his hands to the sides of his head. "I won't! No more!"

Eragon looked at him in horror, then over his head towards the battlefield. "Galbatorix," he gasped.

Murtagh let out an anguished scream.

_Kill the Rider, Brisingr Hjarta._

_Nooo, noooooo, noo…_

_Yessssss…_

_I WON'T!_

Murtagh's eyes shot all over the place. To Eragon, to Saphira, to Thorn…

Then it went black.

_  
Throw it away,  
Forget yesterday,  
We'll make the great escape.  
We won't hear a word they say,  
They don't know us anyway.  
Watch it burn,  
Let it die,  
Cause we are finally free tonight…_

Somewhere inside his own mind.

The Black King was waiting.

This was it.

"_MURTAGH!"_

**Well, now. It concludes with one last chapter. I do like this cliffy of mine. It makes me proud. Will Murtagh get his mind back? You probably can guess, but it will be rather intenseful! Read, review, and ready for the GRAND FINALE!**

**--E--**


	6. What I've Done

I'm baaaaaaaaaa-aaaaack. With the finale of Murtagh's struggles. WhooTTT! Anyhow, this is it. Murtagh vs. Galbatorix in the battle for his mind. Enjoy.

What I've Done

Murtagh screamed as the pain flashed across his mind. _YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD ESCAPE SO EASILY!?_ The Black King bellowed through is thoughts. _I OWN YOU, BOY_.

Murtagh felt his limbs jerking as more pain flooded his consciousness. _Get out of my head!_ he screamed in his mind.

_In this farewell  
There's no blood  
There's no alibi  
'Cause I've drawn regret  
From the truth  
Of a thousand lies_

_YOU _BELONG_ WITH ME!_ Galbatorix shook his thoughts with laughter. _YOU'RE A MONSTER NOW, JUST LIKE – _

_I AM NOT MORZAN!_ Murtagh shouted back. _Aren't you?_ hissed Galbatorix. _You have killed aplenty, Murtagh, starting with your mother_.

"No!"

_Yes… Yes you did. If it were not for you, she would have lived… She would have left Morzan far sooner, but you were there, kept her there…_

"Bastard!"

_I didn't kill my mother, Murtagh…_

"LIAR!"__

So let mercy come  
And wash away  
What I've done

"I don't believe you… I won't!" Murtagh bellowed. "I've made mistakes, but it was all because of you! YOU'RE the monster, not me!"

_It's your true name I hold. You can never change that…_ Galbatorix was growing angry now._  
_

Murtagh recalled Eragon's words. "You're wrong…" he realized. "I have to change myself… I have despised myself for years… I will change that!"

He felt a recoiling in his mind as Galbatorix heard him. _WHAT!?_

_  
I'll face myself,  
To cross out what I've become,  
Erase myself,  
And let go of what I've done.  
_

"I forgive myself for my mother's death." As Murtagh said the words, he felt a stike shoot through him, like lightening. He yelled out as it felt like his arm was about to break from an unknown pressure… but then the pain left, leaving him in control.

_NO! _Galbatorix's yell was not solely mental this time. He heard it roaring over the battlefield, and knew the Black King was flying closer. He heard Eragon and Saphira take off, felt Thorn standing guard, but he wasn't free yet.

_  
Put to rest  
What you thought of me,  
While I clean this slate  
With the hands of uncertainty._

"And I forgive myself for Hrothgar's death!" With a snap-crack, his other arm came free.

"For the murders you forced me to commit under your orders!" _Bang_ – a leg.

"For trapping Thorn under you, too!" _Crack!_ – his other leg. Murtagh stumbled to his feet. He couldn't see, but he could hear the roar of Shruikan as the deadly pair met Saphira in the air.__

So let mercy come,  
And wash away,  
What I've done.

"Forgive me!" He bellowed it into the air. He spread out his arms, willing all who he had killed to show him mercy, to let them know he was sorry for what he had done.

_IT'S NO USE, BOY! YOU'RE STILL BLIND, AND ONCE THE BLUE RIDER IS DEAD I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF!_

"No!" Eragon could not lose. There was one last person to forgive.__

I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done  


"I forgive myself! I forgive anything, everything. I forgive what I've done!"

The resulting blast was so powerful it sent Murtagh flying backwards. With a roar, Thorn caught him. _Murtagh! Can you hear me?_

_Yes! I…_ he opened his eyes. _I can see. I can't hear Galbatorix!_

Thorn snorted. _Just in time, too. Eragon and Saphira need us now!_ Murtagh smiled a deadly smile, heaving himself slowly onto Thorn's back. _Let's go save your girlfriend, then._

_She's not my…_ he protested, then gave up. Let the rider have his fun. They were free!

_Just don't get us killed. Nasuada will cry_, Thorn grumbled, unable to resist the jab.

_  
For what I've done  
I start again  
And whatever pain may come  
Today this ends  
I'm forgiving what I've done!!!  
_

"Come on," Murtagh snarled, pulling Zar'roc from its sheath. "We have a score to settle."

With a bellow that shook the rock, they launched into the air. The Varden forces below them looked up, as if unsure whose side they were on. The army let our a cheer as Murtagh flew to Eragon's side and faced the mad king.

_  
I'll face myself  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done  
_

Galbatorix looked fit to kill. His eye's burned almost red in rage as he glared at Murtagh. The Red Rider looked over to Eragon.

"For mother?" he asked. Eragon nodded. "For mother."

And with a battle cry worthy of the last two free Riders, they flew forward toward ruin or freedom.

_  
What I've done  
Forgiving what I've done_

FIN.


End file.
